New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-27
SNOW, RAIN, SLUSH AND MUD.
THE WORST DAY IN MANY AYEAR, AT LEAST

SIREEIS lURNED INTO ALMOST 1MPASSABLE RIVERS
MAILS DELAYED-PATH OF THE STORM.
Snow began to fall between G and o'clock yester-
day morning. The city had gone to sleep in the cheer
ing hope that the bacbb bono OF the winter broken
and that icy pavemens and sushy streets would be
no more until next December. But when it awoke
it found great snowiakes filling the air and covering
the streets and all the dscomforts of heavy
storm again. All through the morning the snow
fell thickly the air was white with it and
looked through it as through mist BY midday
tie snow lay several inches deep in the street and in
convenient corners 1t was banked up much higher,
although tho wind was not strong. 1t was damp.
clinging snow, which fell like rain upon overcoats ard
hats and made It's presence felt by trcklng streams
running down the necks and into the eyes OF unforu
nate pedestrians. Wherever the great fakes fell they
lay-on the branches of the trees in the parks along
the narrow edge OF the electric wires and upon the
perpendicular sides OF buildings.
All tho lines of transportation in the city of
seriously affected. On the elevated roads the
trans ran slowly and behind the schedule time. The
rails were sliDpery-the track heavy, and the
binding snow prevented the engineers from seeing
more than short distance ahead. Most of the sur
face roads doubled the teams for their cars early in
the day, ana the horses painted aud steamed they
laborcd along the heavy roads The ferries not
seriously incommoded. although the pilots had some
times TO trust more or less TO luck in finding their slips.
About o'clock there began to fall flakes of an
traorinary size. They came peting down like snow
balls, bat the worst was not yet. The snow soon
turned Into rain and the water came down in sheets.
The that lay the streets turned into muddy,
melting slush into which the feet of pedestrians sank
above the ankle. The cutters were turned into rum
ming brooks the aperturcs leading to the be-
chokcd with halimetcd snow, and the cold,
diIty sush grew deeper and deeper. All the alter
and early evening he ram continued The side
walks were after a few hours comparatively clear of
snow, but TO cross street perous undertaking.
Along Park Row between the Bridge and Frankfort
ST.. the water above the curD and inundated the
sidewalks at the hour when the greatest hrong is
passing toward The Bridge and Elevated railway As
usual the nundaton most serious along the water
front West-st. and South-st. were Ike rivers which
had 10 he orded by passengers on their way TO and
from the ferries.
Many old New-Yorker5 declared that it was the
worst day Tor travel in the streets that they had
seen IN the city-ccrtainly the worst within quarter
of n century
The efforts OF the Street Cleaning Department to
keep the streets tree not conspicuous. Here and
there an Italian was To he seen working with hoe in
the snow and slush of the cutters; but these men
seemed TO bc successful only in collecting the nater in
the exact spots where ii would give the most serious
Inconvenience 10 travel
Not the least notable feature of the inconvenience
caused by the storm was difficulty and delay in com
mHuication between the city and the outside world.
There considerable delay 10 the mails along some
OF the railroads. The trains the Pennsylvania road
from the West and South were over an hour late I;
those over the Ncw-York aud New Haven thirtyi
minutes lae those by the Now York Central iortyve
minutes late and 10y the Philndrlphia and Reading
fits five minutes late. Tho Interruption OF telegraph
service WI. NOT important. although all wines worked
heavily during the day. The delay greatest Ht
Western Ionts-Chcago, Cincinnati, aud next to
|'a
wns litlc difficulty. The manager Of the operating.
room Of the Western Union Telegraph Company SAID
last ui1hE
"The storm appears 10 be general but il Is severcst
NJ the West. We still have lines To the principal
We.tern cities. bat have experienced considerable
DELAY and may not he able to clear up the dag b-I
ness before midnight. We taking messages, how
ever without conditions, and have no doubt that we
shall be- able to handle them with sui clcnt prompness
unless the storm should increase \ few lines are
down but we have communication to all points. Our
lines to the East are IN good shape
Yesterdays storm b, NOT the same ono tlat delayed
travel ~ Ncw-Engianl on Friday. That one
passed OF 70 the northeast The storm which
reached here yesterday started "toOt"
nom wyoming ON the day before. II travelled at
tho ratio of seven miles hour. 1he centre
of the storm was near Milwaukee at o. m.
and then a. vcercl OF In northea-terly
direction avoid coming In contact with warm wave
coming up nom the south This reached here in
the afternoon hal than doubled the speed of
the Western leaving Mobile before breakfast
time. whence u starred out nj the moderate pace
u i've mile, hour. and gathered speed until az locock
city the wind gauge In tie weather clerks olhce
on the Equitable Building registered twenty miles an
hour. All along the Atlantic Coast from Wilmington 10
along on the edge % the storm. and melted the snow
from tho West that fell In the city.
At Fort Beaufort. OAK, tho temperature stood
at % below AT Nckburg. was at
everywhere east Of the Mississippi n raining yeser
dIy morning and throughout the Northern NcwEnglsnd
states II was snowiug hard The and the cold waves
mingled In the Mississippi Valley and caused the r"ln
The high winds and the warm southern wave drove
tho storm-centre Off In a northesstery
direction. .
About o o'clock last night the rain stopped. by that
time the condition Of the streets was better although
much slu-h stu remained Tho probabilities Tor today
are that there VIII be warmer and clear weather